Dog Days
by Tonyahuqt03
Summary: AU. Cute & cuddly puppies easy cargo. Not so much. Wash & Zoe face family issues Mally, Gabe, Amina featured . Zoe & Mal face ghosts from their past. And other hi jinks with the crew of the Serenity. New chapter. Promises are made and kept.
1. All is Fair in Love and Puppies

"It's not fair!" Amina stomped her foot down and crossed her arms. Zoe stood over Wash ignoring her daughter's tantrum.

"How long till we hit Whitefall?" She asked.

"Pluh ese I promise I'll take care of it. You won't have to do nothing." The girl stepped in view of her parents hoping that they would concede and allow her wish.

"Few hours or so. I'm not feeling too good about going back to Whitefall. Last we were here Patience didn't take it too well."

Amina grabbed her mother's arms. "Momma! Pluh ese. I'll be good for now on. I'll eat all my food, I won't glue anywhere I ain't supposed to…"

Wash turned to his daughter, "That was you?"

Amina gave her father puppy dog eyes and shook her head, "No Poppa." She climbed into his lap and snuggled up close. "Poppa, I'm promise. And God daddy says a man is as good as his promise."

Wash laughed. "Wise words. But, it's not my decision, princess. You got to convince your Momma."

Zoe looked out the window of the ship. "We got no choice. Jobs running scare these days." She turned to her daughter who was still trying to work over her father. "Amina, decision been made."

"Poppa?" Her big blue eyes pleaded her father to overrule Zoe.

Wash looked at Zoe, then back at Amina. "Sorry Princess your Momma makes the rules around here." Wash smiled.

"Zoe you up here?" Mal's voice called from the back.

Amina jumped off her father's lap and into Mal's arms. "God daddy!" she squealed.

Mal caught the six year old and kissed her on her forehead. "Měi lì nǚ hái, what's your parents not letting you do this time?"

"They won't let me keep one of the puppies. It's not fair! Mally got PuppyBoy and Gabe got BunnyBoy. I want a pet!"

Wash turned around, "You got Jayne sweetie."

Mal laughed. "Princess, those dogs aren't for pets. They're our cargo that needs tending to by your Momma."

Amina gave Mal her puppy dog eyes. "But God daddy it's not fair!" She wiggled herself down. "But do we have to give him all of them?"

Mal crotched down so he was eye level to the six year old girl, "If it was up to me little one I've give you the moon of Lindium, but your folks…" Mal looked at Wash.

"But God daddy you're the captain can't you order them?"

Wash and Mal laughed. "Amina your Momma never taken orders from me…besides those pups are fetching us a good price. We need the coin."

Amina sighed in defeat. "The boys get to have all the fun."

Zoe smiled. "We'll the boys don't get to help me with the cargo."

Amina perked up. "I can help on a job?"

Zoe stretched out her hand. Amina quickly grabbed it. "Yes come on."

Wash waited until Zoe and Amina were out of ear shot, before he spoke again. "Don't like this Mal. Whitefall isn't that big. Patience gets wind of us…"

"She won't. We're delivering puppies, Wash. How much more family friendly can we get? We're at the bottom of the barrel here. We got Chao breathing down our necks for the coin we owe, fuel running low, things fallin' apart, and I'm tired of eating protein paste and hard biscuits. Don't matter how much spice the Preacher puts on it, it still taste like Jayne's feet."

"I know the steaks, Mal. But it seems to me that we're always at the bottom of the barrel." Wash said matter of fact.

Mal stepped closer to Wash. "You got a point?" He asked.

Wash stood up to face Mal. "I haven't told Zoe yet, but I got a wave from a guy I went to flight school with. He's opening up a cruise line and he's asked me to fly his flag ship."

Mal scoffed. "You think you're actually gonna be happy flying in a straight line?"

"It ain't about my happiness, Mal. I got three kids to think about. Mally needs new shoes, Gabe been begging us to see The Great Malonie on Persephone, and Amina wants to learn to play the dulcimer. Zoe and I haven't bought anything new in months…I got more holes in my underwear than I like to admit. This job could change things for me and my family. I'm not happy living at the bottom of the barrel, Mal."

"Why are you telling me this and not your wife?"

"You know Mal."

Mal smirked. "I thought this was water under the bridge. Remember all the bonding cause I got a scar right…" Mal lifted up his shirt and pointed to a scar on his chest. "here."

Wash shook his head. "I take this job Zoe will resent me. You tell her it's ok for me to take the job…"

"She'll what, Wash? Follow you like a good little wife."

Wash punched Mal in the jaw. " yú bèn de hóu zi jì nǚ" He swore as he winced in pain.

Mal laughed and rubbed his chin. "I'm gonna let that slide." Mal moved in closer to Wash. "Zoe does what she wants. Always have." With that said he turned to leave but was meet by Zoe.

"Captain." Zoe said kind of wryly. "We got a problem with the cargo."

"Right." Mal turned to Wash. "Nice talk. We should do the man bonding thing more often." He followed Zoe off the bridge.

"Did I interrupt something?" Zoe asked as they walked down the stairs.

"No your husband and I were just having ourselves a little palaver is all."

Zoe looked at him. "Yeah."

Amina was sitting on the floor holding one of the puppies. "Momma he still won't move."

"It's ok baby, he's just sleepy. Why don't you find Inara and practice your calligraphy."

"But you said I could help!"

Zoe didn't say a word to glare sternly at the child. Amina put the dog down. "Yes ma'am."

Zoe watched until she saw Amina go into Inara shuttle before she spoke. "I notice these two when Amina was feeding them. They won't eat."

Mal looked puzzled. "Maybe they're not hungry."

"They're dogs, sir. They're always hungry."

Mal still didn't understand the worry. "Maybe one of the kids gave them something."

Zoe shook her head. "Couldn't of. Mally been with the Preacher all day and Gabe's with Simon."

"Wèi shén me zuò féi pàng fū ren zài wǒ de tóu tou zǒng shì lā shǐ liǎo. What do you think wrong with them?"

Zoe shook her head. "Don't know." The dogs were in the corner and they have a listless look about them. They both are painting heavily and not moving.

Mal punched one the crates. The dogs started barking.

"Captain." Zoe stood calm. "It might be nothing."

"And it might be everything."

Translations

Měilìnǚhái Beautiful girl

Wèi shén me zuò féi pàng fū ren zài wǒ de tóu tou zǒng shì lā shǐ liǎo Why does the fat lady always shit on my head.

yú bèn de hóu zi jì nǚ Stupid Monkey whore

A/N: The story idea comes from Serenity Adventures RPG.


	2. Promises

"Sternutation."

"Oh… Doctor Simon?"

Simon huffed as he cleared the counter top. "Yes, Gabe."

"What's the biggest bone in the body?"

"Femur."

"Oh… Doctor Simon?"

"Yes Gabe."

"What's the smallest bone?"

"The stapes… Oh."

Simon pulled out a needle from the drawer and loaded it with a liquid that he had mix.

"Doctor Simon."

"Gabe ask me all the questions you want but it won't get you out of getting your shot." Simon said as he wiped the injection shot.

"I hate shots."

Simon smiled. "How do you expect to be a doctor if you hate shots?"

"I hate getting shots. I wouldn't mind giving them. Especially when Mally takes my things."

"There we're done." Simon put a bandage on the area.

Zoe popped her head in the infirmary. "Doc I need you!"

"Momma diddya know the strongest muscle in the body is the tongue? And our eyes stay the same size all out lives, but our nose and ears never don't stop growing? And hair is made of the same stuff that out fingernails are?" Gabe blurted out.

"No I didn't." She put Gabe on the ground. "Why don't you find your brother and the preacher and tell them."

"Ok." Gabe ran out the infirmary.

Simon grabbed his black bag. "Who got shot?" Simon followed Zoe out.

"No one got shot Doc."

"Stab?"

"No."

"Electrocuted?"

"No."

Zoe and Simon found Mal standing over the puppies. "Don't know what's wrong with them." Zoe said to Simon.

He looked at Zoe and then to Mal. "Um you two do know that I'm a people doctor?"

"Yes and a fine one at that. But, I need you to use that top 10% and figure out what's wrong with these pups." Mal responded.

Simon ran his fingers through his hair.

"Doc know what type of dog's these are?" Mal asked.

Simon shook his head no. "The kind that if you don't deliver a bunch of angry ugly men coming at us with all sorts of unsavory things."

Simon nodded. "Right. I'll get my data pad."

"Momma?"

Zoe looked down to see Mally standing there. "Yes, Mally?"

"I think there something wrong with PuppyBoy. He ain't moving."

Zoe and Mal looked at each other. They hurried to dorms where PuppyBoy was kept. They both noticed that the dog wasn't moving. Zoe shook the dog gently. He didn't stir. She placed her finger under his nose.

"Damn."

"Momma, is PuppyBoy ok?"

"Wèishénme zuò shānyáng zài wǒde shíwù zǒngshì tù!" Mal swore.

"Captain." Zoe said calmly. Mal just paced. "Mally go in your room and play. Me and Goddaddy are gonna take PuppyBoy to the doctor."

"Is he gonna be ok?" Zoe picked up the boy. "Captain, why don't you take PuppyBoy to the Doc."

Zoe carried Mally to his room. "You think Doc Simon can fix PuppyBoy?" He asked wide eyed.

She sat on Amina's bed and motion for Mally to sit beside her. "Mally, baby PuppyBoy wasn't breathing." Zoe said plainly.

Mally rested his head on Zoe's shoulder. He understood. "Did I do something wrong?"

Zoe took the boy on her lap. "No nán yīng you didn't do anything wrong. You took very good care of PuppyBoy. He was very lucky that he found you." She wiped the tears from his face and rocked him until he fell asleep.

Zoe joined Mal and Simon in the sickbay they were standing over PuppyBoy's body. "How's Mally?" Simon asked.

"His asleep." Zoe took the data pad from Simon she typed in and showed it to Simon. "Hudler's Malady."

Simon read the data. "You sure?"

"It wasn't until I saw PuppyBoy. He had been acting funny the past couple of days. I figured Mally must of gave him taffy again. But then the pups got sick. I've seen it before. And if we don't treat this it could spread to the rest of the pups." She said turning to Mal who was brooding in the corner.

"Zoe, they need a vet. It says it's contagious. And if PuppyBoy caught it first…"

"Even if we could afford a vet, we're a few hours away from the drop." Zoe stood over Simon. "You're always bragging how you're a genius and all." Zoe put her hands on Simon's shoulder. "Time to put that brainpan of yours to work."

Simon nodded his head. "Right." He took a deep breath. "First we need to quarantine the sick dogs and keep an eye on the others. And I'll do my best to come up with something."

"Good Doc."

"Zoe, I can't make any promises." He said unsure of himself.

"I'm not asking you to."

Simon started plugging in data into his pad. "That's what I'm afraid of." He said to himself.

Mal was now sitting on the couch in the lounge he was rubbing his fingers through his hair. Zoe sat beside him silently. They sat there not speaking.

"Remember Talarian?" Mal asked finally breaking the silence.

"We're not there yet, sir."

"Remember what you promised me?"

"Yes."

Mal got up. He stood with his back towards Zoe. "It's time you make good." He said nothing as he left leaving Zoe.

Translations

Wèishénme zuò shānyáng zài wǒde shíwù zǒngshì tù! why do goats always spit in my food!

nán yīng baby boy


End file.
